Oakland City Attorney
The California State Legislature adopted the Ralph M. Brown Act in 1953. By adopting the Act, the Legislature found and declared that public commissions, boards, councils and other local public agencies in the state exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business. The intent was that actions taken would be taken openly, and that deliberations held would be held openly as well.
The California State Legislature adopted the Public Records Act (click on California Law, Government Code, Sections 6250 – 6277) in 1975 and included all records of the state and local agencies written on or after January 6 of that year. The Public Records Act is designed to give the public access to information in possession of public agencies. The Act also provides that public records shall be open for inspection during regular office hours of the agency. The public can inspect any record unless the record is exempted from disclosure under the Act, and the agency bears the burden of justifying why the records cannot be disclosed and is responsible for required redactions.
The Oakland City Council adopted the Sunshine Ordinance (Title 2, Chapter 2.20) in 1997 as a declaration that it is a government’s duty to serve the public, and in reaching its decisions, to accommodate those who wish to obtain information about or participate in the process. The ordinance is intended to assure that the deliberations of commissions, boards, councils, advisory bodies and other agencies of the City and the City’s operations are open to the public. (Ord. 11957 § 00.1)
Read the Open Government Bill of Rights, which details the rights of Oakland citizens to have access to city government.
City Attorney Barbara J. Parker releases a periodic newsletter in which she provides updates about the work of the Office of the City Attorney as well as reflections on current local, statewide, and national legal topics of importance to Oakland residents.
